Splodey
1999
Nostalgia aside, a fun game with satisfying shooting that still holds up really well. All the hit reactions enemies have when being shot are very impressive. The overall atmosphere is also great, especially so accompanied by the moody soundtrack.
Great game to play if you're just getting into the series or coming back for old times' sake.
Great game to play if you're just getting into the series or coming back for old times' sake.
2000
This game has aged relatively well, especially compared to other games from that era.
The gameplay is simple, but really solid. Shooting is satisfying with gun sounds so loud that they will permanently damage your hearing. I especially liked the ambience in New York levels, they had this nasty grunge feeling, it really complimented the brutal gameplay.
I think the main issue for me was engine related, since the character would sometimes slide around when the framerate was higher than 30 FPS. This could lead to some frustrating moments when platforming or engaged in combat.
Definitely worth experiencing this classic.
The gameplay is simple, but really solid. Shooting is satisfying with gun sounds so loud that they will permanently damage your hearing. I especially liked the ambience in New York levels, they had this nasty grunge feeling, it really complimented the brutal gameplay.
I think the main issue for me was engine related, since the character would sometimes slide around when the framerate was higher than 30 FPS. This could lead to some frustrating moments when platforming or engaged in combat.
Definitely worth experiencing this classic.
1997
Just like the first title, it's a very solid shooter with a great atmosphere and a great soundtrack. Nothing more needs to be said.
Once again, MachineGames knocked it out of the ballpark with their expansion. I would say what they did for Quake 2 surpasses what they did for Quake 1.
I really hope Quake gets a reboot soon. Judging by the expansions, MachineGames really has what it takes to pull this off. As long as their narrative team doesn't decide to turn it into a boring melodrama.
Once again, MachineGames knocked it out of the ballpark with their expansion. I would say what they did for Quake 2 surpasses what they did for Quake 1.
I really hope Quake gets a reboot soon. Judging by the expansions, MachineGames really has what it takes to pull this off. As long as their narrative team doesn't decide to turn it into a boring melodrama.
2004
Fantastic game that manages to surpass its predecessor in every way.
Engrossing world and narrative accompanied by solid gameplay make for an experience that manages to stand the test of time to this day. You can really feel that a lot of care went into this game while playing.
My main complaint with the game would be the second half when you return to City 17, as the game turns into a total shooting gallery. I felt that this section really undermined what made the rest of the game so great.
Here's hoping to see more games set in this universe.
Engrossing world and narrative accompanied by solid gameplay make for an experience that manages to stand the test of time to this day. You can really feel that a lot of care went into this game while playing.
My main complaint with the game would be the second half when you return to City 17, as the game turns into a total shooting gallery. I felt that this section really undermined what made the rest of the game so great.
Here's hoping to see more games set in this universe.
Neither better nor worse than the original game, but definitely different.
It went for more "realistic" gameplay, but this shift made the game rather frustrating at certain parts. Poor weapon handling coupled with hitscan enemies that never miss is a bit of a discouraging combo.
Luckily there is a mod called "Weapons Mod v5", which overhauls the gunplay and makes the game far more enjoyable.
The level design was quite strange, because most of the time it's pretty straight forward, but some of the later levels can test your patience, since it's very unclear where you should be going.
Despite the focus on realism, it still retains what made the first game so memorable, so there's still plenty of gory shootouts to be had here. Great fun when it all clicks together.
It went for more "realistic" gameplay, but this shift made the game rather frustrating at certain parts. Poor weapon handling coupled with hitscan enemies that never miss is a bit of a discouraging combo.
Luckily there is a mod called "Weapons Mod v5", which overhauls the gunplay and makes the game far more enjoyable.
The level design was quite strange, because most of the time it's pretty straight forward, but some of the later levels can test your patience, since it's very unclear where you should be going.
Despite the focus on realism, it still retains what made the first game so memorable, so there's still plenty of gory shootouts to be had here. Great fun when it all clicks together.
A decent expansion, but rather forgettable.
The idea of getting out of City 17 after the events of Half-Life 2 was cool, but it just wasn't handled really well.
You go from an epic confrontation on top of the Citadel to shooting headcrabs in the dark. I just didn't get the feeling that there was any urgency to get out of the city while playing through this.
It felt as if most of this expansion is just a bunch of cut content stitched together to progress the main plot. This is a shame, since Episode One had potential to be really great.
The idea of getting out of City 17 after the events of Half-Life 2 was cool, but it just wasn't handled really well.
You go from an epic confrontation on top of the Citadel to shooting headcrabs in the dark. I just didn't get the feeling that there was any urgency to get out of the city while playing through this.
It felt as if most of this expansion is just a bunch of cut content stitched together to progress the main plot. This is a shame, since Episode One had potential to be really great.
1997
I was a little hesitant to play the original Fallout, but to my surprise it still holds up really well and is an overall great game. It takes a little time to get used to the controls and mechanics, but that's part of the fun.
The way the opening cinematic sets the whole tone of the world and your purpose in it is just great. I enjoyed the gritty tone of the game and it's something that is really missing from the new Fallout games in my opinion.
Playing through it, you can feel that the developers really cared about their game and worked hard to make it the classic that it is today.
The way the opening cinematic sets the whole tone of the world and your purpose in it is just great. I enjoyed the gritty tone of the game and it's something that is really missing from the new Fallout games in my opinion.
Playing through it, you can feel that the developers really cared about their game and worked hard to make it the classic that it is today.
A good game, but after having played the two previous entries in the series, I expected a bit more.
It's strange that with the third game in the series, the tactical aspect of the gameplay remained the same. The squad controls are still extremely basic with only the move and suppress commands. It's a shame they didn't do more here, since it would've helped the repetitive gameplay. On a positive note your squadmates are far less prone to dying compared to the previous games.
Most noticeable improvement over the previous games is the gunplay and the addition of a proper cover mechanic. The cover works similar Rainbow Six Vegas, which fits here really nicely. Also the insane weapon sway and inaccuracy is gone from the older games.
This series always got praise for its narrative, but unfortunately this one has the weakest one. There's an overreliance on an event from Road To Hill 30, but it doesn't really matter in the end. It also doesn't help that the new characters are quite boring and don't offer much to the overall narrative.
Hell's Highway is by no means a bad game and it's still worth experiencing the entire series.
It's strange that with the third game in the series, the tactical aspect of the gameplay remained the same. The squad controls are still extremely basic with only the move and suppress commands. It's a shame they didn't do more here, since it would've helped the repetitive gameplay. On a positive note your squadmates are far less prone to dying compared to the previous games.
Most noticeable improvement over the previous games is the gunplay and the addition of a proper cover mechanic. The cover works similar Rainbow Six Vegas, which fits here really nicely. Also the insane weapon sway and inaccuracy is gone from the older games.
This series always got praise for its narrative, but unfortunately this one has the weakest one. There's an overreliance on an event from Road To Hill 30, but it doesn't really matter in the end. It also doesn't help that the new characters are quite boring and don't offer much to the overall narrative.
Hell's Highway is by no means a bad game and it's still worth experiencing the entire series.
A solid last expansion for Dawn of War 2 and a great improvement over Chaos Rising.
The campaign this time around lets you choose which race to play as and it's a nice addition, since both the base game and previous expansion focused on the Space Marines.
While the campaign is rather short, it's a lot of fun and can be easily replayed multiple times.
Last Stand mode has been further improved upon from Chaos Rising. You can easily sink tons of hours into this mode alone, as it's highly addicting and fun.
Great game and a nice one to wrap up the Dawn of War 2 storyline.
The campaign this time around lets you choose which race to play as and it's a nice addition, since both the base game and previous expansion focused on the Space Marines.
While the campaign is rather short, it's a lot of fun and can be easily replayed multiple times.
Last Stand mode has been further improved upon from Chaos Rising. You can easily sink tons of hours into this mode alone, as it's highly addicting and fun.
Great game and a nice one to wrap up the Dawn of War 2 storyline.
When compared to its predecessor this one improves upon practically every aspect.
The gameplay is simple yet fun and the campaign does not overstay its welcome which is a big plus. Sequences where you are providing overwatch for your squad from a vantage point were the highlights for me.
It could get frustrating at times, since the AI's sightlines can be highly unpredictable, especially in the "Siberian Strike" addon campaign. Also a shame that quick saves were replaced with a checkpoint system, because sometimes you can lose quite a bit of progress if you die or get spotted.
Considering how cheap you can get this game nowadays, it's worth trying out, especially if you're in the mood for a simple game where you don't need to overcommit.
The gameplay is simple yet fun and the campaign does not overstay its welcome which is a big plus. Sequences where you are providing overwatch for your squad from a vantage point were the highlights for me.
It could get frustrating at times, since the AI's sightlines can be highly unpredictable, especially in the "Siberian Strike" addon campaign. Also a shame that quick saves were replaced with a checkpoint system, because sometimes you can lose quite a bit of progress if you die or get spotted.
Considering how cheap you can get this game nowadays, it's worth trying out, especially if you're in the mood for a simple game where you don't need to overcommit.
I'm convinced that most people who hated this game when it came out just dismissed it without trying it first. It plays great like the other Arkham games, with the boss fights being the obvious highlight. All the cool set pieces made me wish the game was more like Arkham Asylum, taking place in an enclosed space instead of an open world.
The main problem I had was that the side content was rather boring, consisting of finding collectables for a mediocre reward.
Overall, a great game that fits in well with the rest of the series.
The main problem I had was that the side content was rather boring, consisting of finding collectables for a mediocre reward.
Overall, a great game that fits in well with the rest of the series.
2022
Not bad as far as these types of games go, but it just really lacked interesting characters, which is a huge problem when playing a game like this. I would go so far as to say that all the characters in this game are unlikable and annoying.
The premise itself starts out quite interesting, but gets confused due to time jumps and heavy emphasis on one of the characters. It's a shame, because the first half is quite intense and keeps you guessing how everything will turn out. They should've kept it shorter and focused more on the heist.
Still, credit where credit is due, the game has a lot of choices and scenes can play out in a lot of different ways. This is by far the biggest plus of the game. Honestly, these guys can go a long way if they get someone decent to write the characters.
The premise itself starts out quite interesting, but gets confused due to time jumps and heavy emphasis on one of the characters. It's a shame, because the first half is quite intense and keeps you guessing how everything will turn out. They should've kept it shorter and focused more on the heist.
Still, credit where credit is due, the game has a lot of choices and scenes can play out in a lot of different ways. This is by far the biggest plus of the game. Honestly, these guys can go a long way if they get someone decent to write the characters.
In a game focused around sniping, there really isn't that much sniping to be found and what little there is, is extremely basic. More or less after the first mission the game forgets what makes the title unique in the first place and tries its hardest to mimic a blockbuster AAA shooter.
It has some fun parts, like when you get to play as a spotter, since it focuses on the core mechanics far more than the rest of the game. Unfortunately sections like these are far too scarce.
Definitely not the worst game I've ever played, but it manages to stay disappointing pretty much the entire way.
It has some fun parts, like when you get to play as a spotter, since it focuses on the core mechanics far more than the rest of the game. Unfortunately sections like these are far too scarce.
Definitely not the worst game I've ever played, but it manages to stay disappointing pretty much the entire way.
2019
This one surprised me quite a bit, especially after seeing all the negative reception. While it doesn't do anything too new in the genre, what it does, it does well.
I think I almost never seen this game without a 90% discount, so there really isn't a good excuse not to try it. If you have the possibility, go through it in co-op, there's plenty of fun to be had here.
I think I almost never seen this game without a 90% discount, so there really isn't a good excuse not to try it. If you have the possibility, go through it in co-op, there's plenty of fun to be had here.
2018
An overall good game with impressive production value, but it does not do anything groundbreaking when judged as a whole.
The combat has good feedback and it feels satisfying when everything "clicks" together. All the strikes have this nice and heavy feeling to them. The main issue for me with the combat was fighting large groups of enemies. With the gameplay camera being so close to Kratos, crowd control was really frustrating.
The RPG elements seemed a bit out of place too. Leveling up your active skills and learning new moves is cool, but grinding resources for new gear was a chore. It would've been much better to find more gear in dungeons or get them from boss battles. It makes exploring the beautiful world far less satisfying.
Storywise the game starts off with a cool prologue and a clear goal in mind, but unfortunately it lost my attention somewhere halfway through. It just juggled too many things and the main goal of the journey gets completely buried. Also it was frustrating to hear these constant dumb quips, especially during a serious scene or a cool set piece.
I know a lot of people praise that cinematics were done in a "one take" style and from a technical standpoint they are impressive. But with this choice, it's mainly the characters that are being shown off, which is a great shame, since the environments are so beautiful and tell stories of their own. I think showing off the detail and having more wide shots of the environments with the characters in them, would've further pushed the feeling of being small in this huge and mysterious world.
Definitely worth trying though, but play on the normal difficulty, since it will be far more enjoyable.
The combat has good feedback and it feels satisfying when everything "clicks" together. All the strikes have this nice and heavy feeling to them. The main issue for me with the combat was fighting large groups of enemies. With the gameplay camera being so close to Kratos, crowd control was really frustrating.
The RPG elements seemed a bit out of place too. Leveling up your active skills and learning new moves is cool, but grinding resources for new gear was a chore. It would've been much better to find more gear in dungeons or get them from boss battles. It makes exploring the beautiful world far less satisfying.
Storywise the game starts off with a cool prologue and a clear goal in mind, but unfortunately it lost my attention somewhere halfway through. It just juggled too many things and the main goal of the journey gets completely buried. Also it was frustrating to hear these constant dumb quips, especially during a serious scene or a cool set piece.
I know a lot of people praise that cinematics were done in a "one take" style and from a technical standpoint they are impressive. But with this choice, it's mainly the characters that are being shown off, which is a great shame, since the environments are so beautiful and tell stories of their own. I think showing off the detail and having more wide shots of the environments with the characters in them, would've further pushed the feeling of being small in this huge and mysterious world.
Definitely worth trying though, but play on the normal difficulty, since it will be far more enjoyable.